Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook Review

With Windows 8 launch ahead of us, We got a chance to review Inspiron 14z Ultrabook with Windows 7 running on it.

Pros: Design looks great for its class, Optional AMD discrete graphics, Value for money.

Cons: Not so great display, less battery life compared to many Ultrabooks.

The Verdict: Dell Inspiron 14z is a good looking affordable Ultrabook for the masses.

Design:

Dell Inspiron 14z is a blend of plastic and brushed aluminium and it’s just 21 mm thin. Though it is not a one of the thinnest Ultrabook out there, weighing 4.1 pounds with built-in DVD drive, latest Intel Core i processors with AMD discrete graphics card is definitely an advantage. It has a truly premium look and feel and also one of the best design of its class.

Software Experience:

Even though it runs Windows 7 premium, Dell is trying to enhance the customer experience with its own software and some pre-installed software. Honestly speaking, they are all crap. I didn’t like any of them except Skype. There was something called Dell Stage software to manage media and SyncUP powered by Nero to enjoy the same content on your PC and smartphone. If you forget all these extra additions, Windows 7 beneath it is awesome.

Keyboard & Touchpad:

The keyboard of Inspiron 14Z is widely spaced with island-style design. According to me, even though it does not a best keyboard among the Ultrabook, it is definitely better than the previous versions of Dell Inspiron Laptop keyboards.  Toucpad on the Inspiron 14z supports some sort of multitouch gestures, but don’t expect it to work buttery smooth. But the touchpad works and its large enough for comfortable usage with two click buttons.

Display:

Dell Inspiron 14z comes with a widescreen of 35.5 cm (14inch) with 1366 x 768-pixel resolution. I would say that display will be the biggest let down for buying this device. This display has low brightness, less vibrant colors and poor viewing angles.

Performance: 

Dell Inspiron 14z offers better performance than its competitors of its class. With 3rd Generation Core ix CPU, upto 8GB of RAM with optional AMD HD7570M switchable graphics, Dell Inspiron 14z can handle pretty much anything an average user can do on a laptop. Startup time, file transfer time, etc, looks decent.

Battery Life:

When you expect the battery life of an Ultrabook to be in the range of 5-8 hours, you should be disappointed with Inspiron 14z. Because you can get only 4 hours on an average usage of web browsing, media playback, file transfer, etc, with this machine. I’m not so impressed with the battery life, but it should be ok when you have access to power wherever you go.

Pricing:

The major advantage of Dell Inspiron 14z is its pricing. It starts from $699 and can be configured upto $999 for the top end model. It provides great value for your money!

Check it out at Dell.com